Living In The Mirror
by Asj Johnson
Summary: Something goes wrong. Ed tried returning to his own dimension using the last of the formula Jonston had Tucker make, but Ed's double goes, instead. Since Scar killed Tucker and Jonston in the alternate dimension, and the formula doesn't exist in Ed's...
1. Role Confusion

I guess I should draw attention to a few things:

One, this is a sequel to "What Could Have Been" but if you don't want to read the first story, you might be able to follow this one without reading it, since I'll probably explain the things you need to know.

Secondly, there's two pairs of Elric brothers. I'm calling the ones we know by the names Ed and Al, and the other two by Edward and Alphonse - just to help keep them straight.

**Chapter One: Role Confusion**

"Ed! I'm so glad I found you!"

"Ugh..." he uttered as he woke. His head throbbed painfully.

"I can't believe it took us over three days to find you, brother!"

"Three days, huh?" he asked. He glanced around to see that he was in an alley. "Where's..." he started to ask, wondering what happened to the other him, when he realized that something felt wrong. His arm didn't feel right. Something just... felt different... And as he glanced toward his right arm, he had a sinking feeling he knew what was different. He pushed up the red jacket sleeve to see metal.

That wasn't right...

He looked up to see a suit of armor towering above him, and jumped back in surprise. Then he remembered that the other him said he had bonded Al's soul with a suit of armor. So... That was Al. And... He was in the other him's universe. And... He _was_ the other him.

* * *

"You're awake!" Alphonse said joyfully. "Did it work? Did the other Ed make it back to his dimension?"

"Huh?" Ed asked. "What are you talking about? I _am_ the other Ed," he said as he started to sit up. He then noticed his right arm. "...aren't I?" he asked, staring at his real-and-not-metal-like-it-used-to-be hand. He discovered that he had Edward's clothes on, as well.

"...Are you okay, brother?" the fourteen-year-old boy asked.

"Uh... I'm not sure..."

"What happened here, anyway?" Alphonse asked, gesturing toward the destruction around them. "Mom and me got word that you two went here to see a guy named Tucker, and we heard there was some type of break-in while you were here."

"Well... we found out how that dimensional portal was formed and who created it - Tucker, the Tringum brothers, Scar, and a guy named Jonston all played a part... But the Tringums are long gone, and Scar killed Tucker and Jonston."

"Those were the two men found here with you?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah. Jonston was the only one who had ever successfully gone through the portal - except me, when I followed him here."

"But, it was the other Ed who-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Look - I _am_ the other Ed. After Scar left, we thought we could activate the formula ourselves, and send me back to my own world, but something went wrong... I can't explain it. I have no idea how it happened. But now, it seems as though I'm not me anymore."

"...Maybe you should see a doctor," Alphonse suggested.

"I don't need to see a doctor, Al. I know what I'm talking about," Ed insisted as he started to get up. But as he stood, his head began to ache and he clutched his forehead seconds before he blacked out.

* * *

"Here, brother," Al said, extending a hollow metal hand toward Edward.

"Thanks," Edward said with a weak smile as he grasped the metal hand with a metal one of his own. As Al lifted him to his feet, Edward said, "Al... there's something I need to tell you..."

"There you are!" Armstrong said. He walked into the alley, toward them. "I'm glad you're okay, Fullmetal. We were worried that guy may have been more than you could handle."

"You mean Jonston?" Edward asked.

"Is that his name?" Armstrong asked. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep up with your chase. Unusual, since the skill of running has been passed down through the Armstrong line for centuries."

"Oh..." Edward said and raised an eyebrow.

--End Chapter--

I decided to go through and change a few small details in this and "What Could Have Been" to make it fit into a time in the show. So... Armstrong needs to be the one that comes at the end of the chapter, instead of Hughes. The time I decided on is when Armstrong was with Ed and Al, so he needs to be there. (Unfortunately, I may need to do some extra explaining in some other chapters... I may not have to, though, and add it into a chapter I haven't written yet, and then it'd be a good thing.)


	2. Edward's Homesickness

**Chapter Two: Edward's Homesickness**

Al led the way to Central headquarters. When they were in sight of the building, Edward stopped. "Ed, I thought you wanted to ask them about that man," Al said, glancing back at the teen.

"But I don't..." Edward began. He then reached into his pocket to find a silver pocket watch. "Oh," he said simply. He just happened to remember that he was wearing Ed's clothes. As it turned out, however, he didn't even need to show anyone the watch to get in. Everyone seemed to know him - or the Fullmetal Alchemist, actually.

* * *

Edward took a deep breath. "I already told you. His name was Clay Jonston. He used to be known as the Transparent Alchemist," Edward said slowly.

"And my answer is the same. There is no Transparent Alchemist nor has there ever been one," Hughes said with a shrug.

"Fullmetal - you're back," someone said in surprise as they passed the room.

Edward ignored the soldier. "Maybe he had a different name. He was known for altering people's eyes in a way to make himself appear invisible to anyone he chose. He had a transmutation circle on the palm of each hand." The man in front of him gave no indication of recognition.

"Hey! You found Fullmetal!" someone said with a smile.

That was it.

The last straw.

"Would everyone stop calling me that?! I'm not _Fullmetal_ - I'm Edward Elric!" Edward shouted.

"Ed, I've known you for years and you've never minded people calling you by that name before," Hughes said in confusion.

"You _don't_ know me! I've never met you before in my life! Err... I wish I never got pulled into this mess! I want to go home to Risembool and be with my mom and my _real_ brother, and I want my arm back! And my leg! And I never want to see any of you ever again!" Tears had begun to cloud Edward's vision. "I'm not a dog of the military! - This isn't mine!" he yelled as he slammed his silver pocket watch down on the desk in front of him. He ran out the door. "This isn't mine, either!" he yelled, pulling off his red jacket as he blindly ran down the hall. People stopped to stare as he tore past them. "Neither are these!" he said as he tossed his white gloves to the floor.

"I think he lost it," Hughes commented as he watched from the doorway.

"Or this!" The Lieutenant Colonel barely dodged the mechanical arm that was chucked toward him.

* * *

Edward, missing an arm and clad in all back since he threw off the red jacket, rode in silence on the train. _'I remembered what this dimension's me said about his mother being dead, but I couldn't help think that if I go home, I'll be back in my dimension with _my_ Al and my mom... And Mom would have a cake for me, with sixteen candles on top of it... As far as I know, this is all just a dream... I just know that everything's... _different_ here. Nothing makes any sense. I guess that's why the other me wanted to find a way home after just one night. - Because everything was different for him, too.'_ Edward now stood before a vacant lot. An evening breeze played with his hair. He felt numb. He had been standing here for hours, but he didn't think he could leave. Reality had sunk in, and his mind seemed empty. Only hours ago, he had a headache from the amount of thoughts swirling around his head. But now... there was nothing left to think about.

"We burnt it down when we started our journey to find the philosopher's stone. There was no longer anything here for us."

Edward didn't take his eyes off the lot, but Al took it that he heard him. And since Edward didn't yell at him for following, Al also took it that he had clamed down.

"Here... I thought you would want these back," Al said as he held out the pile of things Edward had abandoned back at Eastern. Edward accepted the things, painfully re-attaching the automail arm and putting the jacket back on. Edward _had_ faintly realized that it was getting cool out.

"Al... You know I'm not your brother, don't you?" Edward asked as he pulled on the gloves. He felt a little guilty for having yelled that he wanted his _real_ brother back. Looking up at the suit of armor, he imagined that Al would have given him a confused expression if he could. "_Your_ brother appeared in my world three days ago - after following a guy named Jonston through a dimensional portal. After spending the night with us, he decided to find a way back to this world, and you. ...But something went wrong and _I'm_ here instead of him."

"Then where is _my_ brother?" Al asked.

"I'm not sure..." Edward said as he looked away from Al. Edward then held up the silver watch Al had given him a moment ago. The watch slowly rotated as he held it up by the chain. He opened the lid to see a date carved on the inside, then closed it and put it in his pocket. "Al, when did you two burn the house burn down?"

"October 1910," Al answered, wondering why he had asked. Edward figured that he would have craved the date on the watch, if he were him.

"When he was in my world, your brother made me promise him that I wouldn't try to bring back mom in the event that anything were to happen to her. At the time, I didn't think I would keep that promise, but now I know that I will."

_"My brother and I had to go through a lot because of our attempt and I don't want that to happen to you two. Understand?" Ed had said with a harsh voice. _

"Now I partly understand why he was so insistent."

There was a moment of silence before Al said anything. "...It's getting dark out. We should leave."

Edward nodded, noticing the darkening sky for the first time. "Do the Rockbells still live here in this world?"

"Yeah. We spent a few days with them right before my brother disappeared. They'll wonder why we're back so soon."

"Tell them I wanted to spend the rest of my birthday with them. ...I just want a bed," Edward said as he began walking in the direction of their house.

--End Chapter--

I've edited this chapter, but I think I'll leave the original chapter notes, and add some more...

First, I'll tell what I changed in this chapter. The man Edward was talking to used to be Mustang, and it was in Eastern, but then I changed it to Central and Hughes - partly because of "What Could Have Been", since I'd changed the location there, and Edward appeared where Ed had left. I also added in that about him having known Ed for years and Edward saying he never met him before. I also changed the part about the watch, after finding out that Ed never told Al about the watch (at least not this far into the anime...), so he didn't ask Al if that was the date the house was burnt down, but decided to keep it a secret and ask when the house was burnt down. And finally, I added in everything after - not this, just after this - "Do the Rockbells still live here in this world?" - because I haven't mentioned the Rockbells after this chapter, and because I decided to have the story take place right after they stayed there for a few days...

**My Original Chapter Notes (words in bold are new):**

Hmm... Seems more serious than the chapters in the other story, doesn't it?

Well, I figure that Ed wasn't so upset in the other story when he was in Edward's dimension, since Edward's dimension is the 'nice' dimension. That, and people didn't mistake him for his double. (also... notice that Edward's only plan to get back had been destroyed right before he blew up. While in Edward's dimension, Ed seemed to have the right perception of what was going on, like when he knew that Tucker must have been lying, because he knew the Tucker of his own world. For Edward, though, he knew about the Jonston of his dimension, but his beliefs about their dimensions being somewhat the same were crushed when being told that Jonston doesn't exist)

What it is that made Edward understand why Ed was insistent on Edward promising not to bring his mother back if she were to die... I'm not sure, exactly. Interpret it any way you like, I guess. I think it's just an Ed thing... Al would be a big part of it, though, I guess. And maybe the dog of the military thing.

Anyone notice that Ed didn't appear in this chapter (except for a flashback)? _Huh_... I wonder what that means about the next chapter... (Well, I guess I should wait and see what I'll write for the next chapter before saying anything, but it only seems fair to have a whole chapter about Ed, next. - If I can think of enough things to happen...)

By the way, I think I'll try to change the title of this story... What do you think it should be? Maybe "The Path Home" "A World Not My Own" "Dimensional Difficulties" "Self Discoveries"? Any suggestions? **(--I did change the title of this story. It was "The Other Side of Me" but now it's "Living In The Mirror.)**


	3. Late Night Chat

**Chapter Three: Late Night Chat**

The cloth was dipped in the bowl of cold water that was sitting on the night stand before Trisha Elric placed it back on her son's forehead. She frowned in the dim orange glow produced by the lamp. Ed still hadn't waken up and he was running a fever. When she had entered the room of that house, he was already passed out again. Alphonse had told her that he said he didn't want a doctor, but if he doesn't wake after the sun comes up, she'll have no choice. She couldn't help wonder what her son and his other self had been doing. - He was found in a room feet away from two dead men! Not to mention the destruction. Walls were blown out, and her son was lying in a pile of broken glass. What if the contents of those broken containers was poisonous?

Ed began to move under the covers, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Mom..." he mumbled as he changed positions. Even though he hadn't woken up, she could sense something. Just in his subconscious movement, she noticed that he didn't act like her son. She couldn't tell _what_ it was that was different, but there was something. And the way he mumbled her name, too. But everything else screamed out to her that this was her son - the clothing, the non-automail limbs, and the other Ed wasn't around so he must be back in his own world, right?

She heard a yawn and glanced toward the door to see Alphonse standing there. "He still hasn't waken up, yet?" her younger son asked. She shook her head.

"Did he tell you anything while he was awake?" she asked, wondering if she could find some type of explanation for what she was feeling.

"Well... He was only awake for a few minutes, but it sounded as though they found a way to send the other Ed back home, and when they tried it, something went wrong."

"What do you mean 'something went wrong'?" she demanded of Alphonse. The boy hesitated as he tried to find the right words.

"Where am I?"

The brunette turned back to Ed. "I'm sorry to say, but you've slept through your birthday," she said. She noticed Ed looking around the room and answered his question with, "We're at a motel in Central. - I thought taking a train home was out of the question until you woke up."

"No, I can't leave Central! I have to fix things!" Ed said as he pulled back the covers.

"Ed, wait! It's the middle of the night!" Alphonse exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter. I have to go back to Tucker's and see if there's enough of that formula left." Ed got off the bed and began to get dressed when a wave of dizziness came over him. His mother noticed and reached him before he fell over. Ed didn't black out this time, but he felt weak and could barely stand.

"There isn't any."

"Huh?" Ed asked. Their mother helped him back to the bed.

"Whatever was in those beakers, it isn't there anymore," Alphonse repeated.

"What about the carpet? There must be a lot of it still-"

"The carpet's clean, Ed. _Everything_ is. After you passed out, I heard them talking about it. They said there was no trace of that formula you mentioned to me. They even wondered if you had made it up."

"How could I possibly make it up?! How would you explain this?!" Ed asked, gesturing at himself.

"...There's nothing _to_ explain," Alphonse answered calmly.

Ed widened his eyes. It finally clicked into place for him. No one had to explain how he could be in Edward's body without the formula - for all they knew, he _was_ Edward. "Oh..."

Their mother decided that was as good a time as any to say something. "What formula?"

"The substance that can open dimensional portals. I thought I could activate it and get it to send me home, but the other me stepped in a puddle of it, and I ended up in it, as well," Ed tried to explain. She thought she was starting to get the picture. "All I can remember is the pain... The substance started crawling up my leg and digging into my skin."

"It was absorbed into your body?!" she asked in a panic.

"Uh... Maybe. I guess that explains why there's none left," Ed said.

"What if it was poisonous? That might be why you're sick!"

"Well, the other me stepped in it first, so he would have absorbed more of it than I did... I hope he didn't end up..." Ed trailed off. Could Edward have exploded from taking in all of that formula or something?

"Ed, you said you switched bodies, remember? So that would have been you," Alphonse pointed out.

"Oh. In that case, I guess he shouldn't have been effected as badly as I am. But where is he?"

"Maybe he's in _your_ dimension," Alphonse suggested. "The formula was supposed to open dimensional portals, right?"

"It's possible. But, if he did go through a portal, there's no guarantee that he ended up in _my_ world. And, actually, I hope he went to a different world. At least then, he would have a chance of finding out more about that formula... I know Tucker never made a dimensional formula in _my_ world."

--End Chapter--

I added in the stuff about his birthday. I watched a few new episodes and found out that he had a birthday around this time... See, the library burnt down at night; the next day, Ed and Al go to Central and end up finding Marcoh's cook book, spend the day trying to decipher it; that night, they sneak out to lab 5; the next morning, Ed's in the hospital and it's mentioned that his birthday is the next day. So... Sounds like I needed to mention it being his birthday in my fanfic.

**My original chapter notes:**

Nothing happened... I didn't plan it that way... Hope it's okay, though. I didn't mean to have so much review, but I wondered if anyone would try reading this without reading the other story first. By the way, I thought of a reason for the reaction the formula had. Now to try to figure out how these two can fix things...

The next chapter may be a little more interesting... I started getting some ideas for things they can check out. I just finished it, by the way - should be up tomorrow or the next day. I would have had this one up yesterday, but this site wouldn't work for me. At first I thought it was my internet connection, so I disconnected and reconnected several times before I found out that deviantArt was showing up fine...

Still wondering about the title, by the way... Two people review, and they have two different opinions. Anyone else want to vote on it?


	4. A Start

**Chapter Four: A Start**

Al couldn't figure something out. Last night, he thought about how Edward seemed to be from a dimension where their mother was still alive, and therefore never had automail. "Ed, how did you know how to re-attach your arm?"

"I help Winry and old lady Pinako in the shop sometimes," he replied as he put on his boots.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'd rather do other things, but Mom thinks I should help out when they need an extra hand. Winry would rather I stay out of the way, though," Edward said and stood. "Well, I guess we should head out."

"Where are we going?" Al asked him.

"We should start at the Central Library... That's where we got our first lead in _my_ dimension. There wasn't much information on dimensional travel, but it turned out that the other Ed knew the author of the only manuscript on it."

"Oh? Who was it?" Al asked.

"A guy named Shou Tucker."

"_Tucker_?" Al asked in surprise.

"Yeah. We went to his house to ask him about his findings. There wasn't much, but I seem to remember him mentioning the name Tringum... And we later found out about Jonston and his partner working with Tucker."

"_Tringum_?! Russell and Fletcher Tringum? How did they met up with Tucker?! Nevermind... Who was Jonston's partner?"

"Your brother called him Scar. I guess it was because of the scar on his face... He wanted to use Tucker's formula to kill the State Alchemists in every dimension, but he ended up changing his mind and killing Tucker and Jonston."

"Ed... I have a feeling we won't find anything," Al said. He was almost sure that Tucker never did anything with alternate dimensions, and was even surer that the Tringums never met the man. And they knew from yesterday that Jonston was never heard of. And... "The first branch of the library had burnt down the night before brother disappeared."

"Wha?! But we were there after that! We-" Edward stopped when remembering this was another dimension. He sighed.

"I doubt they had anything about alternate dimensions, anyhow. You said that Tucker was the only one that had written anything, and he never researched that in this dimension."

"But... Even if the library didn't have anything on dimensional travel, they might have had something on red water..."

"Red water?" Al asked.

"How I understand it, that's the main substance used in the formula."

_'Of course... The Tringums were doing things with red water. If the dimensional portal has something to do with that, they might know something about it,' _Al thought. "Hey, I might have an idea."

* * *

"You're right... There's none left," Ed commented in monotone as he picked up a piece of broken glass.

"So... What now?" Alphonse asked.

"I don't know. Everyone who knew anything about the formula is dead now. Well... Except for Scar, but I doubt Tucker or Jonston told him much about it."

"Well... If the formula went into your body, do you think there's still some left, or was it all used up?" Alphonse asked.

"I'm not sure..." Ed said. He remembered what Jonston had told him.

_"I only have so much of that formula in my veins. Some gets used up every time I make a portal."_

"Besides... I'm not sure if it was the same formula Jonston had been using. He said that Tucker was trying to modify it so Scar could go through the portals with him. As far as I know, it was never tested, so the side effects could have been from the changes in the formula."

"If there's still some left in you, maybe you'll switch back when the portal is activated."

Ed shook his head. "It's too risky. We were right beside each other when it happened, and now we're not even in the same world. Not to mention that the formula may not have been finished when we tried using it... And judging from the amount of glass on the floor, there must have been several containers sitting on the table - and all of the contents were mixed up when Scar broke them. Some of them may not have even held ingredients for the formula."

"It's too bad that Tucker's dead, now... He might have known how to fix things. And if not, he could at least have told us what he was working on, what was in those containers, and what phase the formula was in," Alphonse commented.

"Wait... Maybe he _can_..." Ed said, a smirk coming to his face.

"Huh? But how?"

"Just follow me, Al," Ed said. He took the younger boy's hand and ran into the hallway.

--End Chapter--

Yay! Another chapter done! And now there's starting to be a little plot in it, too. Anyone know what the two pairs are up to? Well... I guess that Ed's idea may be a little harder to figure out.

Hmm... Should I start mentioning who's dimension it is at the beginning of a scene change? I'm thinking that it could get a little confusing.

Still thinking about titles, here. What about... uh... "Only A Mirror Image Of Myself" or "Living In The Mirror" It's not really a mirror, but I thought it made more sense than using the word 'shadow' as a comparison, since that usually implies darkness. The first one, I originally thought of "Only a Mirror Image of My Formal Self" but that was way too long, and it's still kind'a long. But the "Living In The Mirror" one is kind'a appealing. And it kind'a goes into something I should have been doing in the story... I mean, if you awoke one day to find that you were someone else, wouldn't you be more fascinated by your new body? (The arm and leg or lack thereof should be fun to play with) So, I think I'll try to put something about that in a later chapter.


	5. The Legendary Ed

**Chapter Five: The Legendary Ed**

A little blond boy answered the door.

"Hi, Fletcher," Al greeted. "We were wondering if you and your brother could share some research findings with us."

"_This_ is supposed to be Tucker's partner?! He's only a kid!" Edward exclaimed.

"Uh... Hi, Ed..." Fletcher said.

"Ed, _you're_ a kid, and you're a State Alchemist," Al pointed out.

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault your dimension is messed up. In my world, it's unheard of for someone my age to be a State Alchemist. What's up with your world's child labor laws, anyway?"

"Hm? What brings you two back to Xenotime?" Russell asked as he appeared in the doorway. He gestured for the two of them to enter.

"We were wondering if you found any odd properties of red water while you were working with it," Al said as he walked inside.

"What type of odd properties?" Russell asked.

"Like, say, it being able to create rips in the dimensional fabric of the universe or having the power to switch the souls of two people, or anything like that...?" Edward said.

"Uh... You two didn't..." Fletcher began to say, looking back and forth between Edward and Al. Could they have switched bodies? Well, they still acted like themselves...

"No, but I woke up yesterday with a metal arm and I don't think that's normal," Edward stated.

"Uh... He says he's from another dimension," Al added after seeing the Tringum brothers' puzzled expressions.

* * *

As Ed led Alphonse down the hall, he said, "Tucker must have had a recipe for his dimensional stew. Maybe even some notes on the batch he was making. Now... Two nights ago, I found Tucker in a room, looking over some papers. He might have been working on that formula of his, and if so, I would know what room he keeps his paperwork in." Ed steps into one of the rooms. "This is it," he said, recognizing the table and other surroundings.

"So... Where would he keep the papers?" Alphonse asked. One wall was lined with filing cabinets and he hoped Ed had an idea of the general location.

"I guess I'll start over here, and you can start over there," Ed replied as he pointed at the corners of the room. Alphonse sighed and then trudged over to his corner. As he went to open one of the drawers, though, he found that it wouldn't budge. "Ed, it's locked," he called.

Ed came over to the filing cabinet. "I can fix that," he said as he pulled his arm back, getting ready to smash the lock. But he remembered that he no longer had his automail arm just in time. "Uh..." he uttered as he thought. He clapped and touched the filing cabinet, causing all the drawers to open. "There."

"How'd you _do_ that?!" Alphonse asked in amazement. Ed shrugged, fighting off a dizzy spell as he walked back to his side of the room.

* * *

"It seemed as though there _was_ some type of dimensional flux created by the red water, but it wasn't controllable," Russell told the two of them. "We didn't really look into it."

Edward sat beside Al on the couch opposite the Tringum brothers. There was a plate of cookies on the coffee table between them, which Fletcher had placed there about fifteen minutes ago, along with offering Edward something to drink. He had accepted it, and was now holding the mug as he thought, even though he wasn't drinking any at the moment. "That's the same thing Tucker said, but _one_ man was able to control it. Have you ever heard of a man by the name of Jonston?" Edward asked, his eyebrows knitted in thought as he tried to figure out how he could find the answers he needed.

"No. Never heard of him."

"That's what the military said when I asked them," Edward said. "There must be some way to find him in this world," Edward mumbled to himself. He widened his eyes as he realized that the handle of his mug had splintered in his grasp. He looked at his gloved hand, surprised at how strong the automail was. "Uh... I can fix it," he said as he stared at the broken cup on the floor.

"It's okay," Fletcher said.

"No, really, all I need is something to draw a transmutation circle with and-" Edward began to say, but stopped. He smirked. "Hey... I've been wanting to try something..." He clapped and touched the floor beside the broken cup.

Nothing happened. "What?!" he shrieked. "I get a metal arm and lose two inches of my height and the only thing I get in return is the ability to break things?! What happened to Equivalent Exchange?!"

"Well..." Al began to say, but he couldn't think of anything.

"I didn't ask for this!" Edward yelled as he gripped his upper arm.

"Ed, wait..." Al said, hoping he wouldn't throw the automail arm again. Edward glanced at Al and let go of his arm, but then got up and walked out of the house. He leaned against one of the walls and looked skyward, watching as clouds moved in the bright blue sky.

"You okay?"

Edward turned to see Russell. "I'm just some kid from Risembool... On the way here, I heard tales of Edward "hero of the people" Elric, who became a State Alchemist at the age of 12 and has done numerous heroic deeds. - I've never done anything. When he was in my world for three days, he was always a step ahead of me. ...Al deserves his own brother back. I can't keep him safe. And if I'm stuck here, I know I can't get his body back for him. _My_ Al has mom, but the only family this one had left was his brother."

"In my opinion, you're more like him than you think," Russell said with a slight smile. "I look up to both of you."

"Huh?" Edward asked.

"You're stuck in this dimension, and all you do is worry about not being worthy enough for Al. Take my word for it - if this is permanent, you can live up to your reputation and find the philosopher's stone for Al. And maybe then, you could use it to bring the other Ed back to this world."

--End Chapter--

Hm... A little longer than most chapters. Hope you like.

By the way, I decided to change the title to "Living In The Mirror"... As you could probably tell... I guess that if you don't like it or have a suggestion, you can tell me. (Think I should mention the name change in the story this was based on? It'd send story alerts out, which I doubt many people like, but it'd let those who may want to read this but haven't, yet, know about the title...)

I thought of an half-idea for another story about Ed and Edward that would take place after this story, but it's not fully there, yet... It would involve what Edward does after some time has passed, but I can't figure out how to get a working plot. Think it's a good idea, though? (would ya read it? 'Cause I've noticed that there's half as many people with this sequel on story alert than the original story)


	6. Fullmetal

**Chapter Six: Fullmetal**

"Ed, it's past three," Alphonse said in realization.

"So?" Ed asked while shuffling through the current filing cabinet.

"Mom said to make sure I got you back to the hotel and in bed by 3pm. She'll be worried..."

"C'mon, Al... We're almost done. The paperwork on the formula must be in one of these last filing cabinets."

"We don't even know if it's in this room at all. What if Tucker didn't keep it here? What if he didn't keep any records? What if-" Alphonse stopped when seeing Ed beginning to sway.

* * *

"I can't wait that long, Russell. If the Fullmetal Alchemist hasn't found the stone after searching for so many years, how am _I_ going to find it?" Edward asked. He didn't give the other boy enough time to answer before saying, "I need to find out how to get back to my own dimension. And maybe from there, I can find out what happened to the other me and get him home."

"Well, it would help if you knew more about how Jonston used the portals," Russell said. "That could give us a clue, at least."

"I remember the arrays he used. Would that help?" Edward asked. "Wait a minute... I could tell you what happened right before I ended up here..."

The two of them came back into the house before Edward tried to remember everything that happened. "Well, the formula was red, and after it spilled on the floor, the other me tried to activate it to form a portal, but nothing happened. That's when we ended up stepping in it. It was strange. - It was a liquid at first, but after I stepped in it, it started clumping up and crawling up my legs. The last thing I remember is everything taking on a red hue."

"Did it actually enter your body?" Russell asked.

"Yeah... I think so," Edward answered. "I think that's why everything started looking red."

"It's possible that there's still some left in your bloodstream... If so, you may be able to draw those arrays you mentioned and activate it."

"No!" Al called out. "He can't do that! We don't know enough about the side effects, yet! How do we know it won't just make matters worse?!"

"I'll take my chances," Edward replied. "If I do this, there's a chance that the process will be reversed. If I _don't_, there is no chance."

"Well... There might be _one _other option..." Fletcher said.

"What is it?" Al asked.

"We could take a sample of his blood and look at it under a microscope."

"Yeah... If he has any of that formula in him, we could examine it and see if we can figure out how it works," Russell said. Edward nodded his approval of their idea.

* * *

Alphonse ran over to Ed to try to keep him from falling to the floor, but Ed balanced himself and tried to shove the younger boy away. "Al, I'm fine. - I have to find those papers..." Alphonse relented to him, for the moment. He went back to searching, himself, hoping they would finish soon.

"Hey, I think I found it!" Ed called after a moment.

In one corner of the room, a woman had been watching them in secret. She smirked at Ed's words. "Good work, child..." she whispered to herself, but didn't move from her dark hiding place.

Ed's eyes widened as he read a few pages. Tucker had documented his experiments and had several notes on findings. "Al... Look at this," he said, handing the page to Alphonse.

"Huh?" Alphonse asked. He started reading it. "It says that Jonston showed signs of sickness when he had more than two pints of the formula absorbed in his bloodstream. 'Because of the two pint limit, my partnership with Jonston is a constant one. He must return to me every few days. Every time he has over two pints in his body, he has occasional dizzy spells, accompanied by fever. The dizzy spells, which can lead to fainting, could be caused by the formula's effect on his blood pressure. Over time, the symptoms gradually worsen. My calculations point toward eventual death if he ever fails to discharge the excess formula from his system in time. The amount of time he has to do so is still unknown.' Ed... This sounds serious..."

"Check this out," Ed said. "It looks like Tucker and Jonston labeled the dimensions that they have found."

"Ed! You have to find a way to discharge the formula, like Tucker said! - You have to use it up!"

Ed shook his head. "I told you. It's too risky. I have to see if Tucker mentioned anything about the reaction we had with it, first."

--End Chapter--

Hee, hee... I decided on the title after noticing how stubborn they're both being in this chapter. (When I saw that episode I faintly remember where Ed gets that title and is told that it fits him, I wondered what they meant by that, and then I found out online that fullmetal means stubborn, and it all made sense.)


	7. Hospitals and Shots

**Chapter Seven: Hospitals and Shots**

Ed smiled. "Found it, Al..." he said, holding a small stack of papers. "Now... If only I could read it..."

"Huh?" Alphonse asked in surprise. He turned toward Ed in time to watch him as he fell to the floor. "Ed!" He yelled as he ran over to the teen. He bent over his body to find that he was still breathing, but he was burning up. "I don't care about what you've found, Ed. I'm taking you back to Mom," he said as he stood. Finding that he wasn't strong enough to lift him, Alphonse looked around the room a few seconds before deciding on the chair sitting by the table. "Hope this works..." He took a piece of chalk out of his pocket and drew a circle around the chair, rearranging it a little to turn its legs into wheels.

* * *

"Okay, just hold still..." Russell told Edward as he searched for something.

"Um... There's something I should tell you..." Al said.

"Hm?" Russell turned toward Al and, in the process, allowed Edward to see the syringe he'd just found.

"A needle?!" Edward shouted in surprise as he backed against the wall. Russell turned back toward him, astonished.

"Ed's never been fond of shots..." Al said apologetically. "I guess the same's true for _any_ version of him."

"How _else_ would I take a sample of your blood?!" Russell asked Edward irritably.

"C'mon, Ed, just hold out your arm and it'll be over with in just a second," Al coaxed.

Edward held out an arm with a grin and Russell frowned. "Your _left_ arm," Russell stated. Edward kept his left hand behind his back while Al and Russell fought against him.

"You know - it's hard to believe you're a year older than me when you're acting like this!" Russell said as he tugged on Edward's arm. Edward stopped Struggling.

"...You're _younger_ than me?" Edward asked the taller boy in surprise. Russell took the opportunity to put the needle in his arm.

"Yahhh!" Edward screamed.

* * *

"If what you say is true," a doctor began as he looked toward Alphonse, "that he will only get worse, then I'm afraid that next time he wakes up - _if_ he wakes up - he won't stay conscious for more than a couple minutes. After that... Maybe a coma."

Alphonse's mother gasped. "There's nothing you can do?"

The doctor shook his head. "We don't have anything that can filter his blood. ...Now, Mrs. Elric, there's a few matters I need to discuss with you." She nodded and followed the doctor down the hall while Alphonse stayed by Ed's door.

"Ed..." Alphonse said to himself. "Even if you're not my brother, you're one version of him - you're still _him_ - and you can't die on me like this..." Alphonse had his back to Ed's door, so he didn't notice the red glow around the door as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"Who said anything about dying?"

Alphonse's eyes widened and he snapped his head around to see Ed standing in the doorway, breathing heavily. "Ed!"

"Hey, Al," Ed said with a slight smile.

"Oh, Ed," the younger boy cried as he embraced Ed. "The doctor said we'll lose you if you don't discharge that formula! You have to use it!"

Ed wiggled out of his grasp enough to push the door open a little. "What do you call that?" Alphonse looked up to see the whole room glowing red. The immense size of the portal was amazing. It took in most of the floor and all of one wall. The rest of the room was bright red just from reflecting the light of the portal. "I figured, if I didn't actually jump into it, nothing should go wrong, right?" Ed said and then glanced behind him to look in the room, himself. "I just hope I used up enough of it... Oh, and I'd suggest keeping everyone away from this room until the portal fades."

Alphonse hugged Ed tighter. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Ed glanced around as Alphonse tried to squeeze the last of his life out of him. "Why am I in a hospital, anyway? I thought I told you that I didn't need a doctor."

--End Chapter--

I got to... Um... I think it was episode 11, yesterday. My brother taped about 32 episodes for me so far, and I've seen to the 22nd episode, but I wanted to see the first ones again to jog my memory. Looks like I got several details wrong in these stories... For one, I forgot how nice Tucker seemed... I mean, it's not hard to see why I was so surprised about him doing that to his wife and daughter the first time I saw it. (I don't think his house has a gate, either, so that little detail was wrong.) On second thought, after reading the two chapters I had Tucker in for the original story, I can picture him saying what he says super nicely, so I guess it's all in how you picture it...

Well... So, this chapter may be a little more in-character for them than usual. I guess the last episode I saw last night was "The Other Brothers Elric, Part 1" - That thing with Edward freaking out because of a shot, I have because of the episode with Psiren. When I first saw that he was afraid of shots I was like "Oh no, another thing I messed up on!" but then I thought of a way to fix it. Oh, and I was a little stupid for adding the Tringums to the story when I barely remembered them. So, now they may sound better. (I wonder how Russell got to be so strong, by the way. That episode was after all the flashback stuff, so Ed should have had quite a bit of experience by then, but Russell _still_ beat him up.)

Oh yeah, has anyone noticed how many definitions the word "shot" has? I looked it up in the MS Works dictionary to make sure I didn't say "shoot" or something instead, and there's... well, it lists 27 different definitions (a few mean about the same thing, though), plus there's word phrase thingies like "shot put" and other things. Check it out... (kind'a makes me wish I had things about guns and stuff in the chapter, to go with the title more.)


	8. Unknown Danger

**Chapter Eight: Unknown Danger**

"I... I just don't know," Trisha Elric said.

"When he goes into a coma, we won't have any way to revive him. We can keep him alive on life support, or you can decide to pull the plug. I don't want to pressure you into making a decision so soon, but I would like you to think about it."

"Mom!"

She turned to see Alphonse running toward her and she smiled at him. Then she noticed Ed following behind him and widened her eyes.

"But, how?!" The doctor asked in surprise.

"Hey, I don't die so easily, doc," Ed said. "I'm an alchemist. Discharging some pollutants from my body is no big deal."

The doctor smiled. "Maybe I should consider finding an alchemist to assist me. Looks like alchemy can come in handy at a hospital."

* * *

"_Well_...?"

"Would you quit looking over my shoulder?" Russell asked without looking up from the microscope. "I told you, you'll be the first to know when I've found something."

"Hmph," Edward said and walked to the other side of the room. He then commenced pacing across the floor.

"And stop wearing a hole in the floor," Russell added. "Why don't you see what Al and Fletcher are up to?"

Edward decided to do just that. He found them outside, where Fletcher was telling Al about the brothers' plans for their horticultural alchemy and how it could benefit the town.

"What happened to working with red water?" Edward asked.

"...We quit. It was making people sick, and it just wasn't worth it. When this dimension's Ed came here a few days ago, he showed us that we could do more productive things with our alchemy," Fletcher said.

"Oh..." Edward said. He thought for a moment before saying, "I think the main ingredient in that dimensional formula was red water. I wonder if it's safe to have it flowing through my veins."

"Properties can change when you mix ingredients. And you probably don't have enough in your body to effect you, or else you would know."

* * *

"I'm not feeling good about this, Roy..." Hughes said over the phone. "Scar's still out there somewhere. You know we had a close call a couple days ago..."

"I'm well aware of that."

"Then can I-"

"But my orders are the same. Don't have anyone follow him. Don't even _try_ to find Fullmetal's location."

"But Colonel!"

"No buts, Hughes!"

Hughes began to say something else, but stopped when hearing the dial tone. "That idiot. He's going to get Ed killed." Hughes started crying as he said, "And he forgot to give poor Elicia a birthday present! She must have been so disappointed!"

In Eastern, Mustang sat at his desk. "Fullmetal... In exchange for covering this up for you, I better get something worth my while," he said to himself.

_

* * *

_

'I'm coming for you, Fullmetal Alchemist...'

Scar thought as he boarded a train. _'I tried to find you a few days ago, but no one could tell me your whereabouts,'_ he thought, remembering how he busted in that night and asked for him, but the only answer he got was that they didn't know. _'It was as though you had dropped off the face of the Earth. - Until I saw you onboard a train this morning.'_ Scar then recalled how he was walking close to the tracks when the train went by, and how he thought he saw Ed and Al in one of the windows.

_Scar was at one of the stations when the train stopped. He picked out one passenger that got off the train by himself, and confronted him._

_"Y-You're that guy! The State Alchemist killer!"_

_"Tell me what I want to know, and I won't kill you."_

_"Uh... Short kid and a guy in a suit of armor, right...? Y-yeah, I think I saw them. They got off at Xenotime."_

--End Chapter--

Well... After seeing the first 22 episodes over again, I've found a place in the series for this story to have taken place. So, I went back and edited all of the previous chapters of this and "What Could Have Been" to include details about the time. First, I changed all the conversations with Mustang and Hughes. Hughes is now in Central and Mustang in Eastern. That's the most noticeable change. I also added Armstrong to the first chapter (exchanging Hughes for him). I added a little about the library burning down, when Edward tried looking up dimensional travel stuff (didn't happen in Edward's dimension), and added a little about Ed and Edward's birthdays in chapters two and three of this (since I think it's their birthdays the day they switch places). There may have been one or two other small details I changed, but not enough for people to need to re-read it (if you have any questions, mention them in a review). I just tried fitting the story into the time between when Winry replaced Ed's arm and Ed finding out that the library burnt down. So, right when he and Al arrive in Central, instead of going to the library, they go after a guilty-looking Jonston.


	9. A Screw Loose

**Chapter Nine: A Screw Loose**

"Could you move this plant over here for me, Ed?" Fletcher asked, pointing toward a large potted plant close to Edward.

"Sure," he said. _'This should be a piece of cake with the other me's automail,'_ he thought with a grin. After picking up the pot, his grin faded. The automail seemed weaker than it should be. He then recalled how he had thrown the arm down a hallway a little after arriving in this world. _'I can't let Ed know I broke his arm!'_ he thought in a panic. He still managed to set the pot down where Fletcher wanted, though.

"You want a demonstration of our plant alchemy?" Fletcher asked with a smile.

"Uh... Not right now. I think I'll look around town, instead, okay?" Edward asked, running off before Al and Fletcher had time to answer.

"Is it just me, or did he sound guilty about something?" Al asked. Fletcher shrugged.

* * *

"Here's the problem..." Edward mumbled to himself. He had found a hand mirror somewhere and was using it to examine the arm without detaching it. "A screw's missing..." He pictured the screw falling out when he hurled the arm, back at Central Headquarters yesterday, and gasped at his own thought. He then pictured the screw possibly getting lost back in his dimension, when Scar splintered the other Ed's arm. Maybe he had skipped over the screw when he used alchemy to put it back together. It may have even fell in a storm drain. He started sweating. Either way, it was all his fault, and he didn't want to admit it to anyone.

_

* * *

_

'Oops...'

Winry thought as she looked at the screw. _'I totally forgot to fix his arm when he stayed over here last night.'_ That was partly true, at least. She also didn't want to tell Ed that she had messed up, and was worried about what he'd do if she told him. Last night, she thought he came back to Risembool because of her mistake, and was relieved when he didn't mention it. _'...Maybe he won't notice?'_ she thought hopefully.

* * *

"Ah... A hardware store. At last!" Edward thought with a smile as he walked toward the building. Inside, he asked for the type of screw he needed and for the required tools. After paying for the things, he realized something. "Oh, I guess there's one more thing... Would you mind lending me a hand? I kind'a don't have enough limbs to do the job right." The man agreed to help, and they had the job done quickly. _'Looks like I learned something from Winry, after all.'_ Edward waved as he walked out of the shop, thanking the man once again. Not looking where he was going, he ran into Scar.

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," Scar stated. "This time, you won't escape me."

"Huh?" Edward asked in surprise. "No wait! _I'm_ not a State Alchemist, remember?" he said as backed up. He waved his hands to emphasis the message. He quickly realized that _this_ Scar wasn't the same one that had let him and the other Ed live back in the his dimension, though. Edward noticed Ed's watch chain out of the corner of his eye. "This isn't mine! Really!"

"It looks as though our last meeting has gotten to you. You didn't use to be this afraid of me."

"Wha?! Afraid!? I'm not afraid of anything!" Edward asserted.

"That's more like the alchemist I know," Scar said with a smirk. "I would rather you die with honor." He then rushed toward Edward with his arm outstretched.

Edward narrowly dodged him. _'He's too fast! How am I supposed to get out of this?!'_ he thought worriedly. He had bought a piece of chalk earlier, and he now got it out of his pocket and began to draw a transmutation circle on the sidewalk, pausing when needed to get out of the way of Scar's hand. "I'm really _not_ him!" he said again. After finally completing the array, he used it to transmute the ground under Scar's feet to make him fall on his back.

_'A transmutation circle...'_ Scar thought. He remembered a time when Ed formed a circle with his body by clapping his hands. _'Why would he take the time to draw a transmutation circle when he doesn't need one?'_ He glanced toward Edward, studying him to see if he could figure out what was going on. He was getting a different vibe from the boy this time. As Scar stood, Edward readied himself to use the circle again. "There's something different about you."

"Huh?" Edward asked, glancing up at Scar.

"Tell me why you look like someone else."

--End Chapter--

There. A chapter done. I was going to have some about Ed, but then I thought that maybe I'd try having the next chapter all about him, instead... If I can think of enough things...

I wonder how fixing that arm could change some future events. I doubt it'd change too much, though... Won't Winry be surprised when she finally goes to fix him, only to find out that he isn't broken!


	10. Memories

**Chapter Ten: Memories**

Alphonse watched as Ed sat reading Tucker's notes. _'Last time I saw brother (or someone who looks like him) so determined was when we thought Mom would die. You wouldn't know it if you saw her now, but several years ago, she was really sick. My brother and I thought alchemy could save her.'_

_A younger Alphonse watched a young version of Edward as he sat in the same position Ed was now sitting in, and who also had the same determined look in his eyes as he read an alchemy book._

_"Brother, it's getting late. Why don't you stop, and come back to it in the morning?"_

_"I can't, Al. Every minute counts. Every second we waste, mom gets a little sicker. There must be something in one of these books that can save her, and I'm going to find it!"_

_"But what if there isn't anything, Ed? Shouldn't we spend all the time with her that we can?"_

_Edward was about to reply, when he heard footsteps._

_"Boys?" A slightly pale Trisha Elric entered the room. "Shouldn't you two be getting ready for bed?"_

_"Sorry, Mom," Alphonse said and began to leave the room._

_But he stopped at the door when hearing his mother say, "What's so important, anyway?" Alphonse watched as she bent over to pick up a book Edward had left upside down on the floor._

_"No, Mom, wait-" Edward called out, wide-eyed._

_"Oh..." She said as she looked at the page. It had something to do with using alchemy to cure illnesses. Edward lowered his head._

_"I... I don't want you to spend all of your time trying to make me well."_

_"But you're all we have in this world!" Edward said._

_"Don't worry about me. For all you know, I could get better on my own."_

_'And that's just what she did,'_ Alphonse thought. _'After she got well, she never talked about the time she was sick. She pretended it never happened.'_

"Hey, Alphonse. You paying attention?" Ed asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Huh?" Alphonse asked in surprise. "Uh, yeah. Of course," he replied.

"Yeah... _Sure_ you were," Ed said as he rolled his eyes.

A slight blush came to Alphonse's cheeks from embarrassment.

"I was just saying that I found a receipt for red water. It looks like Tucker's been getting his main ingredient from Mugwar's spring."

"Who's Mugwar?"

"Oh, that's right. I guess you wouldn't know him. Well, he's this guy in Xenotime. Back in my dimension, he was using a spring to make Red Stones - they're basically nothing but cheap imitations in comparison to the Philosopher's stone, though," Ed said with a knowing smirk. "I had to put a stop to his project; the red water was making the townspeople sick. The Tringum brothers, masquerading as me and _my_ Al, were working with him, but I never became a state alchemist in this dimension, so the brothers didn't have us to impersonate and ended up with Tucker. Apparently, they were better of with Mugwar, though..."

"Uh... Maybe if you wrote it down I could figure it out?" Alphonse said, still very confused.

"It's not important..." Ed told the younger boy as he shook his head. "What _is_, though... Is what this page says." Ed held up the page to show Alphonse, but just as Alphonse started to read it, Ed took it back.

"It says," Ed said as he began to read. It was easy for him to picture Tucker writing in that room late one night, after Nina went to bed.

_"The consequences could be disastrous if anyone besides Jonston is ever able to use the dimensional vertex. Especially if two people try to enter the same portal, as Jonston and Scar plan to do. On the other hand, the formula's more stable use has a lower probability of side effects..."_

"Formula's more stable use?" Alphonse asked.

Ed revealed another page. "He explains it here."

_"After discovering a more stable way of activating the formula, Jonston has abandoned the previous procedure. Instead of activating the formula before absorbing it into his bloodstream, he is now activating it _after_ absorbing it."_

"Sounds like we did it the unstable way. But now I know that the formula should still work, as long as it's only me entering the portal. Maybe if I used the formula and found the other me, we could both use the formula at the same time, again, and reverse the effects."

"I thought you said it was too dangerous to experiment with the formula. Didn't you say it may not have even been completed and could have bad side effects?"

"Yeah, but with all of Tucker's notes, I think I can figure out what to watch out for."

--End chapter--

Hmm... Looks like it's been a week since I posted a chapter. Is that the longest I've gone for these stories? (I used to think posting a chapter a month was doing pretty good. Guess that changed with the start of my FMA stuff.)

Well, this morning I finished watching all the episodes of the anime. (Now I need to find the movie) After seeing the episode where Ed runs into Mustang and Hawkeye in the car, I didn't really feel like writing fanfiction anymore. The anime just seemed too complete the way it was. But then I started thinking that maybe I could still write the next story in my series, even if it would involve a lot of things that happens in the last episodes of the anime. I could make little changes in the plot and see how it effects the story, right? And maybe I could have something about Dante in Edward's dimension...

I've already determined that Ed isn't the same Ed in the show, by the way, since the story has already been changed. The show would be one of the dimensions, but one that Jonston hasn't been to... (because if he was there, the story would be different than what's on TV, right? There's only one thing about Ed's dimension that I know of so far, which is different than the dimension of the show, that wasn't caused by Jonston or Edward changing the dimension's timeline. - Oh... There's an story idea. Maybe it's a bad thing to change time...)

(ponders) Wonder how I can wrap this up. If I make it as long as the first story, it would have two chapters left and I'd have to tie things up in those two. It could have a chapter or two more, I guess, but I don't want it to have many more.


	11. All You Have To Do Is Ask

**Chapter Eleven: All You Have To Do Is Ask**

"So you are not from this world," Scar said after Edward's quick explanation.

"You're not going to kill me anyway, are you?" Edward nervously asked.

Scar shook his head. "If you aren't a State Alchemist, you aren't my enemy. I'll return to Central and wait for Fullmetal's return," he said and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait - why are you so determined to kill him?"

"Besides being a State Alchemist, he's also after the Philosopher's Stone. - Therefore, he must be stopped."

* * *

"Do you know how many dimensions there are?" Alphonse asked.

"Um... In one of these papers, I think Tucker mentioned a dimension with a number of a hundred and something. If they numbered them from one, up, I guess that means there's over a hundred," Ed said with a shrug.

"Then how are you going to figure out which one my brother's in?!" Alphonse demanded.

"I donno. I guess I'll try my dimension, first. If he's not there, I'll have to randomly open a portal."

"There might_ a thousand_ dimensions! If so, would you know the chance of finding him in a dimension?! - One in a thousand!"

"Well, duh," Ed said. "Al, you're forgetting that we don't even know if he _is_ in another dimension or not. Who knows what the formula did. But, the only chance I have in finding him is to try the only lead I have. Tucker's notes mention that Jonston was able to open portals to worlds he's been to before by mentally calling out to them. Maybe when we were both standing in the formula, I subconsciously 'called' to my dimension, but it sent him instead of me."

"And if not...?"

"Well, when Jonston didn't picture a destination he wanted, the portal would choose a random world to send him to."

"Maybe you could tell the portal that you want to go to my brother, and it would take you to him," Alphonse suggested.

Ed narrowed his eyes. "You know how stupid that sounds?" he demanded. "I didn't say you _ask _the portal to take you somewhere! I said that Jonston called to the dimension he wanted - which probably means he thinks about the destination! The portal isn't _alive_, Al! It's a thing!"

"I'm sorry," Alphonse said from the corner of the room where he was sitting, hunched over.

"Hmph. Don't be such a baby," Ed said and crossed his arms. After a moment, he noticed that Alphonse was still sulking in the corner. "...Fine. I'll try it your way and _ask_ the portal to take me to your brother," Ed relented. Alphonse grinned at him. _'Well, I guess I would have had no way to find him, even if he was in my dimension. I would have tried Winry's house, first, but after that, I wouldn't know where he'd go. So if this works, it would help a lot. But if Al's plan _doesn't_ work, I'm doing it _my_ way.'_

Ed clapped and said, "Oh, Dimensional Portal thingy, take me to his brother." He then touched a wall of the room. An elliptical reddish spot appeared on the wall, and Ed stuck his head in, glanced around, then pulled his head back out. "Nope. Don't see him."

Alphonse's jaw dropped. "You didn't even look!"

"Yeah I did. If your plan worked, he would have been right there, since I asked the portal to take me to him."

"You didn't even ask it right!" Alphonse yelled. "You didn't _feel_ what you said! You have to _imagine _what you want to go to and _believe_ in it!"

Ed folded his arms across his chest. "If you know so much about it, why don't _you_ do it?"

"Huh? But I can't!" Alphonse said in a panic as he waved his hands horizontally across his body. "I can't open a portal, you have the formula, I don't know what you're supposed to do, you've read all the notes about it so you should do it and I can't-"

"Save your breath. You don't have to try it. - I just wanted to make a point. Like you just said, _I'm_ the one who's read Tucker's notes about how Jonston used it." Ed closed his eyes as he clapped a second time. _'I hope this works this time,'_ he thought. He pictured everything he knew about his dimension - his version of Al, in the suit of armor; the things he's done in Xenotime and other places; Scar; Nina-Chimera's remains; and other things he thought could be unique about his dimension. He also pictured Edward, just in case Alphonse was somehow right. He opened his eyes and touched the wall beside the portal. The plasma making up the portal reacted to Ed's alchemy. After a second, he stepped inside.

"Good luck!" Alphonse called.

* * *

"Xenotime? How'd I get _here_?" Ed wondered aloud. He realized that the portal had already closed and he started walking down a street.

Edward came out from an alley close to where the portal was a moment earlier. "I wonder if Russell found anything, yet," he said as he headed off in another direction.

--End Chapter--

I didn't think about asking the portal until Alphonse mentioned it. That really saves time... I wasn't sure how Ed was going to figure out that they were in Xenotime. I guess that would also help to explain how Edward appeared in Central... I thought it was because that's where Ed disappeared at, but maybe he subconsciously thought about that spot and the portal got mixed up and sent Edward there in Ed's body, instead.

I just finished the last chapter. (Wow... I wrote a lot today.) I won't put up the rest until later, though... I'll probably put up another chapter Monday or Tuesday or so.


	12. Seeing Double

**Chapter Twelve: Seeing Double**

"It's really interesting," Russell told Edward.

"Just tell me if you know how it works."

"Well, I have a theory..."

"You've been looking at it under the microscope for hours and all you have is a _theory_?!" Edward said. "You forgot to mention it would take you a year to come to some conclusion!"

"Now wait a minute, you dwarf!" Russell said, getting up from his chair.

"_Dwarf_?!" Edward demanded. "I'll show you who's a dwarf, you overgrown... idiot!"

"Have either of you seen Al?" Fletcher said from the doorway.

"You mean he's not with you?" Edward asked, quickly forgetting about his fight.

Fletcher shook his head. "After you took off awhile ago, Al decided to go to town to find you."

* * *

"Ed! Where are you?" Al called. _'Why did you seem to be in such a hurry?'_ Al wondered as he recalled how Edward had suddenly announced that he was going to look around town. Al noticed someone with braided blond hair, but remembered that Edward was wearing Ed's clothes, while this person wasn't. - And he could tell that he didn't have any automail. Al decided to talk to him anyhow. "Hello, could you tell me if you've seen-" Al began, when Ed turned to face him.

"Al!" Ed said.

"Uh..." Al said. He couldn't figure it out. "Ed...? But, what happened to your arm? And your clothes?"

Ed looked at his right arm and grinned. "Cool, huh?"

"Uh, okay... Ed, I think Russell's done examining-"

"Russell?" Ed asked. He then wondered if this was his dimension or not. "Al... There's some things I need to ask you. A few days ago, did I chase a man into an alley and disappear?"

"Yeah..."

"So this _is_ my dimension!" Ed said happily. "Okay, next question: this might sound strange, but, is there another me around here somewhere?"

"Actually, there is. I thought you were him at first, but you're not, are you? You're really _my_ brother, right?"

"As far as I know," Ed answered.

"Well, I thought the Tringums could help us, after the other you said Jonston's formula involved red water. So, we came here. But then he said he wanted to look around town, and I thought I should find him in case he got lost or something, so I'm looking for him, now."

Edward turned a corner to see a suit of armor. "Oh, there you are, Al. Fletcher said you had gone to look for me, and-" As Al turned to face him, he saw Ed and widened his eyes. _'It's me... Or, the other me in my body. So, he's okay. - So he's _here

* * *

"I think the best thing to do is duplicate exactly what you did the first time," Russell said.

"But the first time, we stepped in the formula. This time, it's already in our bodies," Ed said. "In my opinion, we should open a portal and both jump in it at the same time."

"Wouldn't that take both of you to another dimension?" Al asked.

"...Maybe."

"Do you know if you have enough formula left to get back here?"

"Uh... I don't know," Ed answered.

"What did you do _after_ you stepped in it?" Russell asked.

"I can't remember. I think I passed out," Ed said. Edward seconded it.

"Did either of you actually see a portal form?"

"Well, the room started glowing pink... I guess it could have been from a portal on the floor," Edward said.

"Maybe if we make a portal on the floor, it would work. I mean, we can't actually go through it if there's ground holding us up on the other side. Maybe the reaction was caused by us being stuck between worlds," Ed said.

"But, what if there isn't ground on the other side of the portal? When it happened, I ended up laying in an alley, but we activated the formula at Tucker's house. That means the portal could take us anywhere. What if it lets out up in the air or something?"

"When I followed Jonston through that first portal, we were in the same place, just in another dimension. Tucker's notes mentioned that Jonston could get back to certain dimensions by picturing where he wanted to be, but if he didn't picture a dimension, it would take him to one at random. Maybe location works in a similar way. Maybe if you don't picture a specific place, it just drops you off in the same place you jumped in at, only in a different dimension."

"Your theory doesn't make any sense," Edward said. "C'mon, genius, how'd I end up in that alley, in your dimension, if I've never been here before? I didn't picture it."

"Well... I think _I_ might have... I thought about my dimension, and then I thought about you and yours..."

"So this is all _your_ fault?! I want my _own_ body back! I want my mother back!" Edward yelled.

"_Now_ who's making who look like a big baby?" Ed asked. Edward quickly recalled what Ed was referring to.

_Edward had exploded with, "You're making me look like a big baby!" He just couldn't stand seeing a face, pretty much identical to his, look like that for another second. Surprised, Ed blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall._

"Shut up," Edward said.

--End Chapter--

I wonder if that last thing was too confusing... See, In "What Could Have Been", Ed realized that if he wasn't around, Tucker wouldn't have made Nina into a chimera. But, Edward got upset that Ed was "making him look like a big baby" because looking at Ed was like looking in a mirror. Edward then went on to say that it might not have been his fault that Tucker did that to Nina in Ed's world, so he should quit feeling guilty about it. So... Here, Edward's the one crying about stuff, and Ed mentions that other time to him, making Edward say to shut up. (it's kind'a like Ed's saying "see, you're _not_ the mature one, after all") ...And actually, it's even more like seeing himself crying, because they're in each other's bodies. (Er... That explanation may have made you even more confused...)

So... Hope the portal logic made some sense. Heh... I couldn't think of any more "the idea that just popped into my head makes everything make sense!" stuff, so I had to try to explain it without any sudden revelations. (but I _did_ suddenly think up the portal on the floor idea - I just don't know how well that explains things...)

One chapter left. Hee, hee... At the beginning of the next chapter, you may get déjà vu. I don't immediately say which Ed stays and which goes... It could be Ed, in Edward's body; Edward, in Ed's body; Ed in his own body; Edward in his own body; or none of the above... (Eh... I'll go ahead and show you that part of it - which doesn't give it away)

_After the portal faded, Al approached the unconscious body. "Ed?" he asked._

_He slowly opened his eyes and asked, "Did it work?"_

_"How are we supposed to know until you tell us which one you are?!" Russell demanded._


	13. What’s Next?

**Chapter Thirteen: What's Next?**

With the instructions to picture himself as himself and in his dimension, Edward drew two transmutation circles on the floor. Ed clapped. They touched the floor at the same time and formed a portal together, then they both stepped in it - and they didn't fall through it, so Ed was right about the ground holding them up from the other side. They concentrated, and after a minute, Ed was gone. Or Edward, if it worked and they switched back.

After the portal faded, Al approached the unconscious body. "Ed?" he asked.

He slowly opened his eyes and asked, "Did it work?"

"How are we supposed to know until you tell us which one you are?!" Russell demanded.

He looked at his right arm to find that it was automail. "Looks like I'm me again," Ed said.

* * *

"Now we can finally see about finding Marcoh's research," Ed said with a smile as he got off the train. He stretched, having been on the train since they left Xenotime.

"Uh... Brother? There's something I've been meaning to tell you..." Al began, but before he could say anything, Ed took off in the direction of the library.

A few minutes later...

Ed's jaw dropped as he saw what was left of the building. "I can't believe it... Al, did you know about this?!" he asked, gesturing toward the destruction before him.

"Uh... Yes, Brother," Al admitted.

"When did it burn down?!"

"The night before you disappeared..."

"Errah! I can't believe I didn't look for Marcoh's book while at the library in the other dimension! How stupid could I have been to put it off until I got back! I mean, I was _in_ the library and I still didn't ask about the book!"

Ed's yelling woke the two soldiers who were sleeping next to the ruins. "Oh! You're here, sir!" Ross said as Brosh and she saluted Al.

"Uh... I believe _he's_ the one you're looking for..." Al told them as he pointed at Ed.

"You mean _he's_ the Fullmetal Alchemist? But I thought..." Brosh began to say.

"No, it's him, really," Al insisted.

Ed realized that someone was there and stopped yelling, turning to look and see who it was. "Second Lieutenant Ross? What are _you_ doing here?" he asked. He remembered her from the stakeout for Jonston and Scar he and Edward had in the other dimension.

Ross widened her eyes slightly. "Have we met?"

"Uh... Actually, I guess we haven't," Ed answered. Might as well keep the other dimension a secret, right?

"Major Armstrong gave us orders to wait for you here, Sir," Brosh told him.

"Not more bodyguards..." Ed mumbled. "It's been several days. Don't you think the danger's over, yet?"

"Not after Scar tried to find you a few nights ago..."

"Okay, fine," Ed mumbled with a frown. "I guess I should see if any books were salvaged from the building..."

* * *

Edward headed out, wearing a red sleeveless jacket with one of Jonston's arrays painted on the back of it. "Look after Mom while I'm gone, Al," he called to his brother as he walked away from the house. He was also wearing a sleeveless black shirt and black pants, as well as black, fingerless gloves with transmutation circles drawn on them. _'I'm going to go by the other Ed's example and try to do some good in this world. My double has done so much with his alchemy - I'll be a hero of the people, too, and make Mom proud,'_ he thought.

"Hmph. The Pipsqueak's gonna ruin all our fun." On a hillside not fall from Edward, three figures watched as he left his house.

"I'll give him a week before he changes his mind and goes back home," Lust said.

"Yeah, you're probably right. He's no match for _us_, anyhow," Envy said with a smirk.

"Can I eat him?"

"No, not yet..." Lust said.

--The End--

Yep. The end. Except for the next story in the series. Check it out. It's in my profile, under the title "Dimension 3". (Not sure how often I'll update it, though. I need to go through my tapes again to get the details right... and my dad's learning to hate my tapes.)

Basically, the epilogue part with Ed is to get it back on track with the series. So, it's to say that life picks up where it left off at when all of this started, back when Ed first noticed Jonston and chased after him - which I did edit to include Armstrong and something about Marcoh. Ed's going to find that Marcoh's book was burned up with the others, but then he remembers Sheska (especially after seeing her only a few days ago in the other dimension), and she copies down Maroh's book and Ed figures out that it's in code and goes to lab five, etc. There's bound to be a few differences, though, because of the four or five day delay, and Edward's fixing Ed's arm, and things. I'll try to find a way to address those differences in the next story.

Oh, one other thing. Awhile ago, I drew a picture of Edward with his new outfit. It's on deviantart, and the link's in my profile. (not too popular on the site, but I'm guessing it's partly because of the lack of a good pose and no background. I was thinking about drawing a scene from Edward's and Scar's short fight a few chapters back, but I didn't really get around to it...)


End file.
